String musical instrument



1 Q Aprll 5, 927 H. FISCHER STRING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed July 28. I925 ATTuRN EY Patented Apr. 5, 1927.

UNITED STATES HERMANN FISCHER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STRING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed July as, 1925. Serial No. 46,549.

The object of the present invention is to so modify the form, that is to say construc tion, of string instruments such as violins, cellos, and violoncellos, as to greatly improve the tone and volume thereof.

The invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a violin back, illustrating in dotted lines the usual position of the area of greatest thickness, and in full lines the applicants change in form and position thereof;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 22, Figure 1. I

By reference to the drawing, it will be seen that the figures therein shown, are of a violin having a face A and a back B. In violins as now constructed, the sound post is disposed in the exact centre, longitudinally and transversely, of the violin head, and an area surrounding the sound post is of greatest thickness in both the back and the face of the violin. This thickened area is indicated by the dotted lines a, Figure 1. Such a construction, universally employed at the present time, does not enable an ideal response by the wood to the vibrations of the strings. If the wood, so constructed, acts to satisfactorily transmit the high tones of the strings, it does not satisfactorily transmit the low tones of the strings. In other words, the present violin construction is such that no special provision is made for acting upon the low tones of the scale in a manner different from the high tones. The sound post being disposed in the centre of an area of greatest resistance to vibration, and that area being in the exact centre of the violin back, the action of the wood is the same along any lines extending regularly from the axis of said area. I have discovered that such construction is faulty in principle and etliect.

In my construction I locate the sound post nearer one side of the violin than the opposite side, and below the sound post position I create in the violin back a thickened area which extends longitudinally of the violin from a point above the waist to a point be- .low the same, this area being relatively narrow and preferably forked at its ends, as illustrated in Figure 1.

The dimensions shown in Figure 2 are merely to illustrate the principle that the thickened area of the violin back, and also the face if desired, is disposed to one side of the longitudinal centre of the violin, the thickness being magnified in the drawing over that of the thin area for plainness of illustration. I have designated said thickened area by reference character 6 and the forked sections thereof by the reference character b.

In the action of the strings upon my instrument, constructed in accordance with the drawings, the rapid vibrations of the high notes, being of relatively great force as compared with the slower vibrations of the low notes, find their proper area of reaction upon the relatively narrow and therefore stiff area to the right of the sound post, Figure 1. Notes which would otherwise be damped or distorted by the fact that the distance between the sound post and edge of the violin back is too great inthe usual violin construction, will be ideally acted upon in said relatively stiff area. Notes which would be damped or distorted by the fact that the distance between the sound post and edge of the violin of usual construction is too short for their slow vibration and low force will be ideally acted upon in the relatively wide and flexible area to the left of the sound post, Figure 1. The sound post is designated by the reference character 0.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings without departing from the spirit of the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent being as follows 1. A string instrument comprising a back, a face, a string support, and connecting means for the said elements, the back having a thickened area disposed to one side only of its longitudinal axis, said area being relatively narrow and long, and extending parallel with said longitudinal axis both above and below the string support, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A string instrument constructed in accordance with claim 1, in which each end of the said reinforced area is forked.

In testimony whereof, I have name to this specification.

H RMA N P 6 11 3,

signed my 

